This invention is directed to mechanisms for translating reciprocating power into rotary power and, more particularly, to engines, such as internal combustion engines, for translating reciprocating piston motion into rotary shaft motion.
Various types of mechanical power generating devices have been proposed and are in use. The most common device for producing horsepower in lower ranges, e.g., below several hundred horsepower, is the internal combustion engine. Broadly, internal combustion engines include two-cycle and four-cycle gas engines, and diesel engines. While various of these types of internal combustion engines have found widespread use, in the past they have all had a number of disadvantages.
One disadvantage of most prior art internal combustion engines in widespread use in vibration. Vibration, which is most pronounced during starting and transmission gear shifting is a result of the unbalanced design of most internal commbustion engines. More specifically, most internal combustion engines comprise a single cylinder, or a plurality of cylinders mounted along axes that lie orthogonal to the longitudinal (rotational) axis of a crankshaft. As the pistons reciprocate back and forth in a piston cylinder, the crankshaft (or some equivalent structure) is rotated. While a well-tuned multiple cylinder engine, if well balanced, appears to produce only a small amount of vibration, because of imperfect balancing, some vibration is always produced. As a result, such engines are often supported on vibration absorbing engine mounts. While this arrangement eliminates the effects of vibration (for example, in the interior of an automobile) it does not eliminate the vibration.
One of the primary reasons that prior art internal combustion engines and the like produce vibration relates to their manner of construction. Generally, the driving pistons are not equally spaced about the shaft to be rotated, rather they are located along axes that project orthogonally outwardly from the rotational axis at spaced points, the axes defining either a single radial plane (straight or in-line engine) or two radial planes (V8 engine). Thus, generally power is only applied to the crankshaft from one side, as opposed to being applied equally from all sides of the crankshaft. This arrangement of necessity creates some vibration. Depending upon crankshaft balance and a number of other factors, the amount of vibration can be substantial. Further, engine balancing to reduce vibration adds weight without any power benefit and, thus, is an undesirable approach to solving engine vibration problems.
Another disadvantage of prior art internal combustion engines and the like, relates to their complexity. Specifically, internal combustion engines, particularly those of a four-cycle variety, require relatively complex valving arrangements to control the drawing of a suitable air/fuel mixture into each combustion chamber just prior to each compression stroke and the exhaustion of exhaust gases. The valving arrangements are complex because each cycle function must occur in the right sequence with respect to each piston/cylinder arrangement and each piston/cylinder sequence must be correctly "timed" with every other such sequence. The result of these "timing" requirements are complex arrangements of cams, valves, push rods, rocker arms, gears, etc. and, thus, complex engines that are expensive to manufacture, assemble and maintain. Much of this expense and complexity is a direct result of the rod/crankshaft reciprocating-to-rotary motion coupling mechanism. This same disadvantage holds true for many other reciprocating-to-rotary motion coupling mechanisms, i.e., mechanisms of this type used in other environments.
Various attempts have been made to overcome the foregoing disadvantages of internal combustion engines. However, these attempts have been generally unsatisfactory. In many cases, they are mere variations on standard internal combustion engines. Alternatively, the proposed engines have been even more complicated than standard engines. Still further many have been unreliable due to "weak" links in their reciprocating-to-rotary motion coupling mechanisms. Thus, for various reasons, standard internal combustion engines have been the "mainstay" of relatively low power generating systems, i.e., those below several hundred horsepower.
Therefore, it is an object of this invention to provide a new and improved engine.
It is another object of this invention to provide a new and improved multicylinder engine.
It is a further object of this invention to provide a new and improved apparatus for translating reciprocating motion into rotary motion.
It is another object of this invention to provide a new and improved multicylinder internal combustion engine.
It is yet another object of this invention to provide a new and improved multicylinder internal combustion engine that is less complex and, therefore, more inexpensive to produce than prior art internal combustion engines having an equal number of cylinders.